for those who love good prose...
Suprose aims to encourage and support literature, authors, books and audiences of SA prose. Think of this as a watering hole where conversations begin and friendships develop.

What is Suprose?

Welcome to Suprose.

Why Su-prose? "Su" in Sanskrit is a prefix for "good". This is a place where we will discuss and analyze prose (with a South Asian Connection) - that which is good, awesome, excellent, and maybe rant about prose that could be better.

Whether you love prose, are a prose expert, or want to learn more about prose, or to put it simply want to have anything to do with prose, this blog is for you.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

So long, bad timesWe're gonna shake it up and break it upWe're sharing light brighter than the sunHello , good timesWe're here to simulate, eliminateAn' congregate, illuminateWe are here to change the world-- Michael Jackson

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Do you have the desire to meet your goal? Ask yourself that question well before you embark on your project. Is this really close to your heart, are you willing to give it your everything? That burning desire to see your project materialize is what will channel you towards the goal...

Sunday, November 30, 2014

South Asian romance fiction is not terribly common, at least not yet. There are a few writers who are breaking into this space and among them Sonali Dev whose debut novel A Bollywood Affair, is creating a new trend in the world of romance fiction.

At a time when bindis and henna are becoming pop culture, Sonali Dev has launched a work of fiction situated in a world that people are curious to learn more about.

Sonali Dev

Sonali was kind enough to take time out of her book launch schedule to answer some questions for Suprose.

How did you become a
fiction/romance writer?

It's really a long story. I've
loved to write and in fact I’ve written since I was very young. One of my
earliest memories is writing couplets about anything and everything as far back
as kindergarten. I wrote a diary through school, started writing reviews about
all the movies I watched and books I read as early as middle school. As an
adult, even though I went to Architecture school I realized early on that I
wanted to write for a living, so I became an architectural journalist and loved
it. I always thought I would only ever write non-fiction. I never thought I
could actually create stories. But about seven years ago my best friend, who is
a movie producer in India, was reading a slew of scripts and bemoaning not
being able to find a good commercial script. And naively enough, I said
"How hard can it be?" And she said, "You should write me
one." And I did. Of course it never got made. But once I had created
characters and they had lived inside me I was done. Hooked. I couldn't stop.

As for romance, in everything I
read I search for the love story, zero in on it. To me any story worth reading
has love at the heart of it. So, naturally romance is my genre.

Did you study fiction writing
formally, or are you self taught?

I did take classes in writing
fiction at the University of Chicago's Creative Writing Workshop. And I've
taken a slew of craft workshops over the past seven years. I do have a master’s
degree in Written Communication, but I don't have a degree in writing fiction.

What are some of the challenges
of the world of romance fiction writing?

First, I think there are more
advantages than challenges. For one, the community of romance writers, readers,
and reviewers is incredibly close-knit and supportive. Those who love this
genre are fiercely passionate about it. Which makes sense because they demand
that same fierce loyalty and passion from their stories. And the Romance
Writers of America (RWA) is one of the strongest, most effective professional
organizations in the world and its support makes this world so much easier to
navigate than if you tried to go it alone.

The challenge is in knowing and
understanding the genre, because there is an incredible range in subgenres and
styles to cater to the huge readership. So, it’s important to know where within
that tapestry you fit, to identify the kind of story you want to tell and then
to understand the structure and rules of the genre and to tell that story as
close to the edge or the center of those rules and that structure as you want.
What I'm trying to say is that if you love the genre and read widely within it
you'll find your place in it without letting it restrict you.

Breaking into this genre is no
easy job. How did you do it?

Truthfully, I wonder if it's any
harder or easier than breaking into any genre. In fact I suspect it is easier
now than it's ever been. For one I think readers are demanding more diverse and
different books, and the world is no longer a set of homogenous pockets.
Readers are much more aware and open than they've ever been before. Having said
that, breaking into anything is a combination of too many factors to synthesize
into any kind of advice. But generally I'd say it's a confluence of writing a
story you love, believing in it with all your heart, working on it until you
can work on it no more, blocking out the naysayers, and then being blessed by a
whole lot of good timing.

Do you think 10 years ago, a
Bollywood romance would have been acceptable in the mainstream?

I moved to this country
nineteen years ago. At the time there was not one Indian character on TV. Not
in commercials, not in shows, nowhere. Indians, in fact South Asians, were an
almost invisible cultural sliver. When I told people I'm from India, it wasn't
uncommon to be asked where that is (true story). Today when I tell people I'm
from India they ask which part and often follow it up with stories of their
last trip there, their favorite Bollywood movies, their favorite Indian food.
So, has America come a long way in its desi-consciousness? Absolutely. Even so
when I finished my book and started submitting it four years ago, Bollywood
Romance was rather farfetched. But that was great because standing out from the
crowd was never a problem.

My point is that whether something is mainstream yet
or not is immaterial. Slumdog Millionaire came along in 2008. Big Bang Theory
which in my opinion was the first mainstream show with a major realistic Indian
character came along in 2007. There was a lot of cultural trickling before that
and it's been growing since. If we sit around wondering what is acceptable in
the mainstream and what is not we'll never become mainstream. Joining the
trickle is the only way to influence mainstream in any way.

What are some of the challenges
faced by South Asian writers in the field of romance fiction?

The only challenge I can think
of is also our biggest advantage, that our cultural world has rarely been seen
in this genre. So, making it feel familiar while staying authentic is the only
challenge.

If I were to look at your
to-read pile what would I find?

I am currently reading My
Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas and I swear that woman makes me useless. I
have to use all my strength to drag myself away from her books and do anything
else. And My Beautiful Enemy might be one of the most stunningly brilliant
romances I've ever read. Other books on my TBR are Soniah Kamal's Kashmir-based
An Isolated Incident. Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken and Nalini Singh's Rock
Courtship.

Who are some writers that you
turn to for inspiration and solace?

Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy is
my own private MFA in a book. Jodi Piccolt turns words directly into emotion.
Jane Austen still has the best most timeless plots. JK Rowling created a world
so familiar, so comforting I'll return to it anytime, in fact I crave returning
to it all the time.

Any favorite romance fiction
authors?

Why, yes, of course. How much
time do you have? Lisa Kleypas, for the perfect emotional pitch of her writing.
Susan Elizabeth Philips for the most real, the most irredeemable characters and
for redeeming them to a point where we forget why we thought them irredeemable
in the first place. Kristan Higgins for creating families and communities you
want to crawl into and never leave and for the biggest belly laughs in the
business. Nalini Singh for the sheer intensity and sweetness of her romantic
connections and her incredible world building. And Sherry Thomas for the complex
intricateness of not just her language but of her characters as well. Everything
I know about writing romance, I’ve learnt from reading these women.

What did you read growing up?

Very young it was all Enid
Blyton all the time- faraway worlds, make believe creatures, perfect boarding
schools, and Amar chitra Katha comicbooks -- Indian mythology in all its visual
bite-sized glory. Then in middle school came the classics, the strong female
stories of Austen, Alcott, and the Bronte sisters, and the adventures of
Treasure Island, Gulliver’s Travels, Moby Dick with a lot of PG Woddehouse
thrown in. And then high school was all about commercial bestselling fiction at
its finest, Sydney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, Eric Segal, Ken Follet, Jackie Collins.
And then in College I discovered Indian authors, Vikram Seth, Manohar
Mulgaonkar, Salman Rushdie, Khuswant Singh, Shobha De.

Sonali Dev at the Atlanta Romance Writers National Conference

What advice would you give "wannabe" romance fiction writers?

First, write and refine and
keep working at your story without letting rejection dissuade you and without
worrying about what sells and what doesn't. The stronger your writing and your
story gets the more confident you will become and that will help you find the
right home for your story. And second, leverage the romance writing community,
immerse yourself in it, volunteer, get involved, make connections, learn, teach.
In the writing world this community is a rare and precious gift, embrace it.

Oh and stop referring to
yourself as a wannabe anything. You write, you’re a writer. You’re not a
wannabe anything.

What is next for you?

My second book, The Bollywood
Bride, comes out in a year. It's with my editor right now and I'm really dying
to get back into it when my edits come in. Then it's on to book three and four
in the Bollywood series which I have been planning and researching for two
years.

And do you feel the fire when the flame gets hot
Are you living every day like it’s the last you’ve got
Will you step aside when it all falls down and watch it burn away
Have a little faith when the walls cave in
Pray for strength to fly against the wind
Will you walk away when the fire gets hot
Or fight another
Another day
-- Addison Road

Thursday, November 6, 2014

"Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter"
-- Christina Aguilera

Because, Monica is an inspiration to many. Even though she hit several walls, Monica believed in herself and her work and decided that her short stories would be published no matter what.

I laud her for her efforts and commend her for seeing this project through from beginning to finish. And what's more, she is working on her second collection of short stories which will be published early next year!

This is one writer, many of us creatives can learn from. Learn to believe in ourselves, have confidence in our work and be passionate about what we do.